Making customers re-visit your store is a challenging task, and more often than not, row breaks out at checkouts due to inept store executives, which may put-off customers from revisiting or recommending your store. So, in just one stroke, you may lose your present as well as future customers.

There are various factors which can make or break
customer relationships at your retail outlets. Employing
inhospitable, non-serious, haggard or incompetent staff to handle
customers at Point of Sale (POS), poor inventory management, long
queues at checkouts, non-adhering to latest technology, haphazard
store upkeeping, lack of basic amenities and infrastructure may give
customers a nightmare of shopping at your store.

In
Focus

"Customers these days are very particular about
getting the best shopping experience. Apart from opting for organized
stores, they also expect smooth and fast transaction at checkouts as
they don't want to waste time in queues or deal with uncourteous or
rude staff. For faster checkouts, technology plays a major role as
these days checkouts are invariably filled with POS technology
products like barcode scanners, thermal receipt printers and cash
registers or computer systems with appropriate billing/retail
software. But even through one has the best store set-up with all
necessary paraphernalia, untrained store executives can play a
spoil-sport and can turn away customers," feels Bhaskar
Venkatraman, a pioneer in introducing POS technology to retail
business houses in India.

Though e-commerce shopping sites are making waves in
India offering a unique and convenient shopping experience,
brick-and-mortar stores and street-corner shops, which form more than
80 per cent of retail outlets in India, are still to engage POS
technology or modernize their business.

"Though it is rather convenient to go to the nearby
kirana/departmental stores to buy our monthly grocery items rather
than visiting the far-off super markets, these street-corner shops
have their own disadvantages," said Bhaskar, director of
JusTransact.com, a leading ecommerce portal exclusively for POS
technology products

"From getting items from inside and making
hand-made bills to collect cash, these stores follow traditional
means which are outdated, complicated and time-consuming. Moreover,
the possibility of making errors is very high compared to modern
billing system. Many stores, fearing losing customers, are now
digitalizing their stores so as to compete and keep them in pace with
established peers," Bhaskar added.

So, it is at the checkouts where you can see your
customers frown or smile, which is crucial for their future visits to
your store. In other words, it's better you keep a 'check' at
your check-outs!